


Mr. Crowley Goes to Mars

by seashadows



Category: Good Omens (TV), Good Omens - Neil Gaiman & Terry Pratchett
Genre: Crowley Loves Outer Space (Good Omens), Established Relationship, Fluff, M/M, Other, Outer Space
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-03-12
Updated: 2020-03-12
Packaged: 2021-02-28 18:47:30
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,088
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/23121973
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/seashadows/pseuds/seashadows
Summary: Mars, according to Aziraphale, wasn't as red as he'd expected.(Aziraphale's curiosity about the new Perseverance Rover leads to a special trip beyond Earth with the demon who adores him.)
Relationships: Aziraphale/Crowley (Good Omens)
Comments: 37
Kudos: 119





	Mr. Crowley Goes to Mars

**Author's Note:**

  * For [KitschyKit](https://archiveofourown.org/users/KitschyKit/gifts).



> This is a gift for kit-ttheshadow on Tumblr, who co-won third prize in my follower giveaway. :) 
> 
> Thank you very much to sleepdrunk/lovelybydecay for beta-reading!

Mars, according to Aziraphale, wasn’t as red as he’d expected. “It looks like one of those American deserts,” he said, putting his hands on his hips as he looked around. “In the southwest. The ones with the cacti?”

“Yes, angel, I know what you’re talking about. I’ve been to the American Southwest,” Crowley said. He put his arm around Aziraphale’s shoulders and pulled him close. “Come on, I thought you’d be more impressed than this.”

“I am,” said Aziraphale. “It’s lovely here. Look, there’s the sun! And there are _dunes_ here – why didn’t anyone ever tell me about all the dunes?” His face broke into an exultant smile that made his cheeks look like plump little apples.

Crowley couldn’t help a hiss of laughter. “There’s been images of Mars out for decades, angel,” he said, squeezing Aziraphale’s arm. “And barring that, you could’ve come out here yourself. The solar system’s existed since – oh, the _beginning?_ ”

“Perhaps I had better things to do,” Aziraphale said primly. “Now, where’s that rover you were telling me about?”

“Not here,” Crowley told him. “I thought maybe we could have a bit of a walk. Get to know the real Mars.” He jerked his thumb to the left. “Jezero Crater’s over there – care to join me for a stroll?”

Aziraphale’s smile softened into the fond look that Crowley had never been able to resist. “A stroll sounds lovely. Lead the way, my dear.”

Crowley took his hand and they started off, taking breaths of the thin, bracing air that shouldn’t have had nearly enough oxygen to support them. He took some demonic delight in the knowledge that a human wouldn’t have been able to stand an hour here, and some rather less demonic delight in the sound Aziraphale’s shoes made when he crunched tiny rocks underfoot. _Satan, I’m weak for him,_ he thought.

Save for a few pleased hums, Aziraphale was quiet for the duration of their walk. He only came out of his contemplative mood when Crowley led them to the edge of the crater and pointed in. “Look there, angel,” he said. “That’s the Perseverance Rover down there. Isn’t it amazing what humans come up with?”

“It is,” Aziraphale said. His eyes sparkled in Mars’s dusty yellow light. Not for the first time, Crowley found himself wondering why he himself had never explored this planet like it deserved, why he’d never brought Aziraphale here and shown him another world. “Shall we see, Crowley? Do you think I should touch it?”

“You should do whatever you want,” Crowley told him. Aziraphale’s enthusiasm was infectious, and he felt his heart begin to beat, superfluously, faster in his chest. “Let me miracle us down there, okay? I don’t want you hurting yourself climbing down that slope.”

“Oh, all right,” said Aziraphale in the tone of someone implying his arm had been twisted _just_ enough to make him order an appetizer he’d craved all along. “If you’re so concerned for your safety, my dear.”

Crowley snapped his fingers and brought them down to the bottom of the crater. Before them lay the machine that had inspired the whole trip when Aziraphale read about it in the newspaper mere hours earlier. “Here,” he said, affecting as blasé of a tone as he could. The view was nothing spectacular, but he couldn’t help a frisson of excitement. He was on Mars. _Mars,_ after all these years of wanting to see it. “Go ahead and touch it, angel.” He snapped his fingers again. “No one’ll see you, even if it is taking photos”

“Thank you, darling,” Aziraphale said. He strode forward, kicking up plumes of dust that settled in his hair. Crowley couldn’t hide a snort at the thought of the complaining to come. “What’s so funny back there?”

“Nothing, angel. Go ahead and pretend you’re a five-year-old with a shiny thing.”

“Oh, you’re _so_ funny,” Aziraphale said, almost approximating Crowley’s own drawl, then crouched next to one of the wheels and ran his fingertips over the dusty surface. “Oh, you clever things,” he whispered, voice carrying through the distance between them. “Clever things, sending this all the way here. I’m so very proud of you.”

Crowley kept his distance as Aziraphale caressed the rover and murmured more words of fond endearment, words Crowley knew he wished he could say to every human in the world. When the angel finally came back, his eyes were damp. “Doing okay?” Crowley asked.

“Yes, yes, I’m fine.” Aziraphale wiped his eyes. “Thank you for bringing me here, my darling. I never would have thought to come on my own.”

“My pleasure,” Crowley replied. “What do you want to do now? We could take a walk-- all over this planet if you want, or wait for nightfall and watch the stars. Ever had a picnic on another planet?”

“Stars,” Aziraphale repeated. “You know, Crowley, that reminds me of something. I…no, it’s silly.” He folded his arms. “I’m not sure I should say it.”

 _Sneaky angel_ , Crowley thought fondly. He knew exactly how to get him to do whatever he wanted, and Crowley didn’t mind at all. “Tell me, angel. I’ll try my best to help you get it.”

“Well…” Aziraphale demurred for a moment, then dropped the charade. “Do you suppose we could waltz together among the stars?” He pointed upwards. “There, I mean, not here.”

Crowley smiled and took Aziraphale’s hand. “Your wish is my command,” he said, and snapped his fingers, closing his eyes.

The vacuum of space was cold and dry, and smelled of burning dust, the scent of creation. Crowley opened his eyes and looked into the blackness. “Well, angel?” he said. “How do you like it?”

“Ooh,” Aziraphale said, and executed a little turn in place. “I’ll have to get used to the lack of gravity, but I like it.” He squeezed both of Crowley’s hands. “Shall we dance? I don’t see any stars, but we’ll make do, I suppose.”

“No making do for you,” Crowley said. With a thought, a nearby meteorite fragmented into marble-sized pieces and rushed around them into Earth’s gravitational pull. “Look over there, angel. Down into the atmosphere. See the lights?”

Aziraphale smiled and laid his head on Crowley’s shoulder. “Oh, my dear,” he said, “it’s perfect. And we have all the time in the universe to enjoy it.”

They danced. 

Miles and miles below, the humans looked up at the sky and wondered where the unexpected meteor shower had come from. They would never know who the gift came from. 


End file.
